


Little Comforts

by Kimanaio



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Jaal gives great massages, Massage, the lotion helps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 16:24:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10857699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimanaio/pseuds/Kimanaio
Summary: Poor Ryder is tense from her responsibilities, Jaal helps her relax.





	Little Comforts

**Author's Note:**

> Featuring the return of Tann the cat!

Fiona Ryder realized something was wrong when she tried to put her pajamas on and was met with a piercing pain in her shoulders. After a moment of wincing and cussing, she prodded the sore muscles with a gentle hand, only to find that she was tenser than she’d ever been. Her back felt like solid rock, and she _knew_ that couldn’t be healthy.

“SAM, is Lexi awake?” Fiona asked, slowly bending to put her sleep shorts on.

“Yes, she is in the midst of an autopsy report on the most recent kett Ascendant we have killed,” her AI replied. “I do not think she would enjoy being disturbed.”

Fiona sighed- he was probably right. She needed a back rub desperately, something to work the knots out of her shoulders and the pinching feeling from her lower back. Lexi was probably the most qualified, though any of the humans on the crew were probably familiar enough to do a good job. Still, she really wanted Jaal to do it. After their last private encounter, Fiona was eager to spend more time with him.

“And,” she mused, “He’ll want to learn more about human anatomy. Win win!” Fiona pinged the tech lab with her omnitool, getting an answer within a few seconds.

“Darling one, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Jaal’s voice was low and warm, and Fiona blushed.

“I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”

“Anything.”

“Well, I’ve been really tense lately, and my back is hurting. Are you familiar with massages?” She crossed her fingers, hoping that they did.

On his end, Jaal hesitated. Angara did know about massages- in fact, they were something shared between family and life-partners on a fairly regular basis. What gave him pause, however, was how much contact they’d be sharing. Yes, they’d kissed, spent long hours tangled up with each other filled with kisses and wandering hands, but that was in the dark, and they’d yet to… to take anything _off._ All the same, the thought excited him.

“Of course, tavetann. Do you mind if I bring something to help?” He glanced at his lotions- there was one that helped with muscle pain, and it would likely do the same for her. At least, he hoped it would.

“Um, yeah, whatever you thing would work!” Fiona was nervous about that- what was he talking about?

“Good. I will be there shortly.” Jaal ended the connection, rising from his bed. He tightened his sleeping robe and grabbed the bottle of lotion, heading out of the tech lab and down to the pathfinder’s quarters. Tann was sitting pensively at her door, his little gray paws gently clawing at the metal- he’d have to tell Gil that his cat-door protocol wasn’t working.

In Fiona’s room, she was scrambling to look alright. She made her bed quickly, ran a brush through her hair, made sure her teeth were clean. No matter how many times she saw Jaal, she still wanted to look her best around him.

“Pathfinder, Jaal is outside of your door. Tann the cat is accompanying him,” SAM announced, and Fiona acknowledged. The metal door slid open with a small hiss, revealing Jaal in his dark blue robe, Tann in one arm, a bottle of lotion in the other.

“Hello,” He greeted, distracted by Tann struggling for freedom. “Down you go,” he said quietly, letting Tann free gently. The cat ran into Fiona’s room, heading straight for his scratching post. Fiona laughed, bringing a smile to Jaal’s face. He loved her laugh, even more so when he was the one to cause it.

“You look comfortable,” Fiona commented as Jaal walked over to the bed, sitting down next to her. He gently kissed her in reply, one hand settling on her waist, the other cupping her head gently.

“But you are not. What wrong with your back?” He was concerned, running one of his large hands across her shoulders. He squeezed softly, his expression changing as Fiona reacted to the pressure. “I assume you are supposed to be softer there. Not like a rock.”

“No,” she sighed, leaning into him, “Humans are supposed to be softer there. And down here.” Fiona guided his hand down to her lower back, pressing his fingers into the knots.

“Fiona, how long have you been like this? You can’t fight well with your muscles in this state. Come here.” He pulled her into an embrace, folding her into his arms. Fiona loved it when he did that, pulling her in and making her feel… sheltered. Small. It felt good, after being forced into the role of pathfinder, to know that someone could still do that for her.

“I have been looking over Dr. T’Perro’s files on human anatomy, and I will do my best to avoid sensitive areas. You will have to guide me, though,” Jaal stated, and Fiona could feel his voice vibrating in his chest. She pulled back, grinning, and nodded.

“Of course, but only if you tell me what you have in that bottle of yours.” She gestured to the lotion he’d placed on the nightstand, and Jaal lit up with a smile.

“This is a muscle relaxing lotion. It will help, if I massage it into your skin. I think. I am not sure how it will react to human physiology. We should test it first.” Jaal reached for the bottle and put a small dab onto his hand, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. He gently brushed it along the top of Fiona’s hand, and she raised her eyebrows.

“It tingles, is that, like, normal?”

“Does it burn or itch?” He was watching her skin closely for a reaction.

“No, just a little tingly. Like menthol.”

“Menthol?”

“It’s a chemical compound that makes things tingly. Pretty ‘cool’ stuff,” Fiona explained, snickering at her pun, and Jaal nodded.

“It sounds similar. Now- ah- your shirt…” Jaal trailed off, unsure of how to continue. His hands were clasped nervously, but a small smile crossed Fiona’s face and she rolled her eyes.

“So bashful, Jaal. You’re not even the one stripping,” she teased, then pulled her shirt over her head.

Jaal’s breath caught in his throat. As her arms extended, tossing the shirt to some corner of her room, Fiona looked like a sculpture.

“Stop, for a moment,” Jaal requested, and Fiona paused her action, arms still in the air. “You look like art, tavetann.”

Fiona blushed, slowly setting her hands down in her lap. “Well, that’s got to be one of the nicer compliments anyone’s given me.” Fiona was loathe to admit it, but most of the people she slept with were a lot less emotionally invested.

Jaal stared at her intently, focusing on how her skin curved and sloped across her delicate bone structure. He could tell where her ribs were, the slight definition of her abdominal muscles- she looked a lot like the diagrams Lexi sent- just more real, more wonderful. Eventually he settled on her chest, curious about her breasts. Humans demonstrated greater sexual dimorphism than angara, and Jaal was struck by a sudden urge to feel if she was as soft beneath her clothes as she was on her normally exposed skin.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Fiona snorted, and Jaal blinked.

“You wouldn’t mind?” He rather wanted a picture of her to keep with him, and with her skin bare, she was even prettier.

“No- I- It’s an expression. But I mean, I guess I wouldn’t.” She blushed, and he shook his head.

“I will settle for seeing you in person. Now, lay down, let’s see what we can do to help you,” Jaal said softly, watching her carefully. Fiona stretched and laid face down on her bed, arms resting beneath her pillow. She had goosebumps, less from cold and more from anticipation. Jaal settled across her thighs, straddling them carefully to avoid putting too much weight on her. Fiona shifted slightly, and eventually they found a comfortable position.

Jaal squeezed a small amount of lotion between his hands, holding it between his palms to warm it. The concoction would heat up on its own, but there was no reason for the first part to be unpleasant. He gently placed his hands flat against her shoulder blades, rubbing the lotion over her shoulders and working his thumbs into the very obvious knots. Fiona _moaned_ under his touch, and Jaal’s reaction went straight to his core. He swallowed nervously, but carried on, drawing little sighs and soft breaths from his partner. He loved how she moved under him, her muscles softening the more he worked them. He loved the soft slope of her lower back, how it dipped and rose at her hips, how he could trace her spine with the slightest pressure. And her tattoo, the star at the nape of her neck, he wanted to kiss it. Jaal wanted to kiss all of her skin, taste the sweetness of her, lavish her with all of the attention he could give.

“I will never know,” Jaal rumbled, his fingers dancing up the sides of her breasts, “How you found me. How lucky I am that you crossed a galaxy to come into my life, you exquisite creature.”

Fiona gasped, arching her back into the bed. His words were as erotic as his touch, and Fiona had to suppress the sudden urge to roll over and kiss him. Instead, she groaned into her pillow and rose up onto her elbows, simultaneously frustrated and overjoyed that Jaal was… wandering. He used the opportunity to slide his hands onto her chest, both hands cupping her breasts. She _was_ soft, and as he applied pressure, Fiona whimpered.

“Jaal, do you- ah- do you know what you’re doing?” Fiona asked with a shaky voice, leaning up to press into his strong body. Jaal grinned, gently kissing her neck, and tweaked one of her nipples with his thumb.

“Obviously,” he hummed, then elaborated. “I have discussed human anatomy with Dr. T’Perro at length. But tonight isn’t about this, no matter how delectable you feel. Tonight is about relaxing, and you need to rest.” Jaal pulled back, leaving Fiona huffing in frustration.

“You can’t just tease me like that,” she whined, turning over to look at him. His arms were pillared on either side of her, and the smirk on his face was his answer. “You’re rude.”

He quirked a brow-ridge up, a habit he’d learned from Fiona. “Rude? Really?”

“Absolutely. Now cuddle with me.” Fiona reached up and wrapped her arms around him, pulling Jaal down with more force than he expected. Jaal obliged happily, settling into the bed with her. Fiona fluffed the blankets over them and tucked herself close into Jaal’s arms as the little spoon. Jaal took the opportunity to bury his face in her hair, the soft strands one of his favorite things about her. It always smelled like foreign flowers and her gentle scent; it filled his heart with something that might have been love. They held each other in silence, SAM taking the liberty of turning off the lights and dimming the large window that looked out onto the expanse of space.

“Jaal?”

“Yes, darling one?”

“Thank you. Not just for the massage, but for everything. For being here for me.” She sniffed, blinking away an errant tear- the emotions coursing through her were unexpected.

“I will always be there for you, Fiona. Wherever you go.” Jaal squeezed her tighter, kissing the top of her head. Fiona smiled, and for once, she believed that she’d found love.

**Author's Note:**

> Believe me, it was so difficult to not make this into sex. I'll publish one in the near future though!


End file.
